Only if you need faster recycling time between photos or more range for daylight fill-flash do you need an external flash. It should be noted that the D3300 appears to give better battery performance than the D5300, but actually they use the same EN-EL14a battery. You can access it via the quick menu, but that's far too slow for my liking, so I set the Function button to adjust ISO. Outside of this, Wi-Fi and a vari-angle screen are the only other clear hardware advantages to the D5300 over the entry-level model.

With 16mp (enough for my needs), 100% viewfinder coverage, good AF, LCD screen on the top, tilting 3in screen, weather-proof body, and good build quality (still quite far of my Nikon FM3a though) I am happy. I just stick it on the camera, put the camera in this cover, and then pop it into my purse or carry-on.

No Wi-Fi Built In: A lot of the more expensive DSLR cameras out there come with Wi-Fi so that you can easily transfer your photos from your camera straight to your smartphone for social media. And so I find myself sitting here with a brand new D3300 entry-level DSLR next to my EOS 40D and T3i, tentatively prodding the back and waiting for it to explode.

I also had a vague notion that I might want to take my photography hobby more seriously and see where it could take me in the future. Capturing all the beauty and atmosphere of important moments, the D3300 from Nikon delivers vibrant, lifelike photos and movies, day or night, with incredible ease. In the next picture, also shot into that same tree, there is nothing but blue sky in that same location (between the branches). The new model is slightly lighter and smaller than the older D3200, which is great for portability's sake, but those with larger hands might find the camera slightly cramped or have to leave a finger hanging from the grip.The " I must have the latest gear" brigade must be throwing out their G6s in droves because its a bit long in the tooth after reading this. The lightweight and compact entry-level DSLR from Nikon brings a lot to the table for the budding DSLR photographer. Quality does start to drop off at ISO 6400, but I'd not hesitate to use that sensitivity for Web sharing, even when shooting in JPG. Attempts to set a manual white balance indoors produced severe magenta or blue casts whereas I had no issues setting manual white balance with my old DSLR.

This camera’s Wi-Fi ® capability using the WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter can only be used with a compatible iPhone ®, iPad ®, and/or iPod touch ® or smart devices running on the Android ™ operating system. When you pay for the yearly subscription, you also get all of the updates totally free, so you always have the latest version of all of the programs. With no built-in AF motor or aperture feeler for manual-focus lenses, it only autofocuses with AF-S and older professional AF-I lenses, same as Nikon's other cheap DSLRs.Aside from the lack of Wi-Fi, there's not much to complain about here and we don't feel that there's anything that this camera is seriously lacking feature-wise. The D3300 can make extraordinary images in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, and has loads of internal processing power to accomplish everything it does very quickly. There's slightly higher finder magnification than the D3200 — but the finder is still smaller than Nikon's larger DSLRs like the D7100. These are just a few of the things that keep me from transitioning to mirrorless or something smaller.